Cent$ible Power Users Manual

Transcription

1 Users Manual

2 Welcome to Cent$ible Power Thank you for your participation in the Cent$ible Power pilot program. Your involvement is greatly appreciated. As a program participant, you are on the cutting edge of an exciting new development in the green energy industry. The aim of Cent$ible Power is to help save you money and enable you to easily control your energy use online without having to sacrifice comfort or convenience. Your feedback throughout the pilot program will enable us to capture valuable data to improve our energy savings efforts and confirm that Cent$ible Power is easy to use and provides significant savings on your electric use. Account Number: User name: Password: Address House Number: Zip code:

3 Table of Contents Introduction Creating Your Online Account Before You Start Create Your User Account and Basic Programs Changing the Transition Points for Thermostats and Water Heaters Getting Help Cent$ible Power Mobile App To Download The Home Screen Making Temporary Changes to Thermostat Making Temporary Changes to Water Heater Making Program Changes Changing the Temperature Unit Monitoring Use Introducing Your New Thermostat Understanding Your Water Heater Understanding Thermostat Conservation Events Understanding Water Heater Conservation Events Basic Troubleshooting for Online Portal Frequently Asked Questions

4 Introduction Welcome to Cent$ible Power! We are pleased that you have joined us in this proactive, innovative solution to help make our electric system more efficient. Cent$ible Power gives you the ability to control the way you use energy, without sacrificing comfort, while helping the community and the environment. This guidebook will help explain how to use your new thermostat, your online account portal and convenient mobile application and provide information about Cent$ible Power. Cent$ible Power allows you to monitor, manage and control your home s cooling and heating system via the Internet and convenient mobile application tracking energy use day-by-day through custom programs that you create for your air conditioning and heating system and water heater. You can even create seasonal energy management programs and specialized programs for holidays or unique situations. Participating in energy-saving events not only can help you save money on your energy bill, but can also keep rates low for the community. For more information about how your new system works and answers to other questions you may have, refer to the Knowledge Center located in your online dashboard at www. after you create your online account. will start managing your energy use as soon as the equipment is installed. Until you create your personal online account, your equipment will be managed by the default program at 7 a.m. according to the following schedule: Heat Target Cool Target Temperature Temperature

5 Creating Your Online Account In order to utilize Cent$ible Power, you must create your personal, secure online account and your basic set of four programs. Creating your account involves creating a username and password, and then answering a short questionnaire. The answers to the questionnaire create four basic programs. These programs are named Weekday, Weekend, Work from Home and Vacation and may be the only programs you need to create. Before You Start You will need the following information in order to create your account: Your account number. This number is on your monthly billing statement. The address to which you want your Cent$ible Power account messages sent. Your house number and billing zip code. Create Your User Account and Basic Programs To create your personal account and basic custom programs: 1. Visit www. and click on the log in button. The most compatible web browsers are the current versions of Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer. 2. On the login page, click Setup Now. 3

6 1. Create your online account by following the instructions in the threestep account creation process, which includes adding your account number without dashes. 2. Create your username and password using the directions below. 4

7 1. After you create your account, you will be prompted to create a set of four basic programs by answering a few simple questions. Answering the questionnaire is a short, simple three-step process that you must complete before you can start enjoying the benefits of your online energy management account. These programs are named Weekday, Weekend, Work from Home and Vacation. Weekday and Weekend will be automatically scheduled according to your answers to the questionnaire. Work from Home and Vacation are special programs that you will be able to schedule on the Program Management tab. You will be able to modify the details of all four programs on the Program Management tab. Remember, until you create these programs your devices will be managed according to the default program, which may not provide the comfort level you prefer. After you create your basic programs, your personal homepage, or dashboard, displays as shown below. You can then access all functions of your online account, including modifying the basic programs you just created and creating additional programs that fit your specific requirements. 5

8 Changing the Transition Points for Thermostats and Water Heaters Use this procedure to change the transition points of an existing program. 1. On the left of the calendar, click the name of the program you want to change. 2. In each device box on the right-hand side of the page, add, delete, or change transition points as needed. Each device must have at least one transition point and can have up to seven. To add a transition point, click +Add Transition Point. New transition points will be sorted in proper time sequence when you save your changes. To remove a transition point, click the point you want to delete. To change the time of day that the transition point takes effect, perform the following steps. A transition point remains in effect until the time of the next transition point. Transition points do not have to be created in time order. They will be sorted into the correct order by time-of-day when you save the program. 1. Click the time value and use the sliders to change the value. on the right of the transition 2. Click the buttons to change it from one to the other. To change the mode of operation: For a thermostat, click the, or mode button until the desired mode is displayed. We recommend that you select 6

9 to permit the system to automatically switch between HEAT and COOL modes as needed For a switched device such as a water heater, click the mode button to choose whether you want the device switched on or off. To change the thermostat preferred temperatures, click the cool or heat preferred temperature box and use the slider to set new preferred temperatures. To ensure that your HVAC does not constantly switch between heating and cooling, we recommend that the cooling preferred temperature be 4 to 6 degrees warmer than the heating preferred temperature. The cooling preferred temperature is displayed in AUTO and COOL modes. The heating preferred temperature is displayed in AUTO and HEAT modes. 3. Do you have other programs you need to create, change, or remove? Yes: Create, change, or remove those programs. When you are finished, click Save Programs. No: Save the new program schedule and settings by clicking Save Programs. 7

10 Getting Help For assistance using your online account, or to learn more about Cent$ible Power, refer to the online help and Knowledge Center as follows: If an item on the dashboard has an information icon in the upper-right corner, click the icon to display help specific to that item. To view the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) and other useful information, click the Knowledge Center tab. If you need additional assistance, contact a member service representative at (251) or member.service@baldwinemc.com. Monitoring Use When you log in to your Cent$ible Power account, the Home screen will display a use chart similar to the one below. This chart can show 24 hour detail, 7 day detail, a 7 day summary or a 13 month summary. *The energy use displayed on this chart is estimated based on information collected from your water heater and/or air conditioning and heating equipment at the time of installation. This does not reflect your actual energy use. 8

11 Cent$ible Power Mobile App The Cent$ible Power mobile app enables you to manage your home energy consumption remotely on a mobile device. You can adjust your thermostat, turn your water heater on and of and switch between your energy management programs. Note: This app is intended for use with Cent$ible Power and does not control other thermostats or systems. Changes made from the mobile app are only temporary. Permanent program changes must be made at the Program Management tab in the online portal accessed through a web browser at For further information, contact the member service department at (251) or member.service@baldwinemc.com. To Download Tap the App Store icon on your iphone or the Play Store icon on your Android device. Tap the search button or icon and search for Cent$ible Power. If more than one app appears in the search results, make sure you select the one that says Cent$ible Power. Tap the button to install the app. After downloading and installing the app, select, enter the username and password for your online account, and then touch SUBMIT. (You must create an account on a computer. See page 4.) 9

12 The Home Screen Once you have logged in you will see the home screen, which will show your current heating and cooling settings and the status of your water heater as well as the current program. Across the bottom of the screen you will see tabs labeled as follows: Current - which shows the current settings Control - which allows you to change device settings Options which allows you to change temperature units between Fahrenheit and Celsius Account which allows you to select between different accounts or addresses 10

13 Making Temporary Changes to Thermostat Select your thermostat. The screen will then change to the control screen for that device. It will show the temperature the thermostat is set on. To make a temporary change to a thermostat tap the up or down arrows to raise or lower the temperature setting. Below that is the actual temperature in the house as well as buttons that show the current mode. Tap the button for Cool, Heat or Off to change the mode. When finished, tap on the green Submit button. A confirmation pop-up will appear that says temporary program override success. Tap OK. The thermostat will remain on these settings until your next transition point. Making Temporary Changes to Water Heater You can turn the water heater on and off using the button on the app. 11

14 Making Program Changes On the Current Settings tab there is a blue bar near the bottom that shows which program is currently running. To change that program, tap the blue bar. You will see a list of programs you have created. Tap the program you want and tap the green Submit button. Next, select a duration you would like to run that program for (1-10 days) and tap the green Submit button. A pop-up box will appear saying Success. Tap OK. Your program has been changed. Anytime you want to change from your current program back to your normal weekday and weekend settings just go to the Current Settings tab and click the blue bar showing the current program. The very last option listed under programs will be to end whatever program is currently running. For example, it will say End Vacation if you are currently running a program called Vacation. Select that end program option and click the green Submit button. A pop-up box will appear saying Success. Tap OK. You have now returned to all your normal program settings. - 12

15 Changing the Temperature Unit To change between Fahrenheit and Celsius tap the Options tab at the bottom of the screen. The Temperature Unit screen will show which unit is currently being used to display temperature. Under that will be a black button that says Change Unit. Tap that button to toggle between Fahrenheit and Celsius. Tap on the Control or current Usage tab and you will see the temperature represented in whatever unit you selected. Monitoring Use To monitor energy use, go to the Current Settings tab then rotate your device 90 degrees to the right or landscape perspective. The screen will change to the Use Screen. You can toggle between views of a sevenday summary and 24-hour detail with the buttons on the top of the screen. *The energy use displayed on this chart is estimated based on information collected from your water heater and/or air conditioning and heating equipment at the time of installation. This does not reflect your actual energy use. 13

16 Introducing Your New Thermostat The new thermostat that we installed is a communicating thermostat. In addition to controlling your heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) system, it communicates with for conservation events. This enables the thermostat to receive instructions from your online programs. You should always use your online programs to control the thermostat, which in turn controls your HVAC system. However, there may be occasional situations when you wish to make a short-term temperature adjustment. You can make these adjustments with your online program (preferred) or at your thermostat. FAN INDICATOR FAN & MODE BUTTONS STATUS INDICATOR + & - BUTTONS When not in a conservation event, you can make adjustments. If you need to make such an adjustment at your thermostat, you can use the Plus (+) and Minus (-) buttons to adjust the target temperature. 14 Temperature changes made at the thermostat are temporary. The online program will change them at the time of its next transition point.

17 Additional things to know about your new thermostat are: Do use your online account as the primary means of controlling your heating and cooling temperatures. Do not use the thermostat as the primary means of controlling your heating and cooling temperatures. The COOL or HEAT that is displayed on the thermostat screen indicates the thermostat s current mode of operation, not whether your HVAC is actually running. Your online program will automatically switch between the heating and cooling modes of operation as needed. You do not need to use the thermostat s mode switch to change from heat to cool or cool to heat. The COOL or HEAT mode icon flashes when the HVAC is actually cooling or heating. If you power off your HVAC equipment, be aware that at the next scheduled transition point, the thermostat will turn the unit back on unless you make changes through the web portal or turn the unit off at the breaker. Refer to your new thermostat on the Knowledge Center tab of your personal account dashboard for additional information about your thermostat. 15

18 Understanding Your Water Heater Use your online web portal account as the primary means of controlling your water heater. If you plan on turning your water heater off for an extended period of time, please use vacation mode in your web portal or app instead of your breaker. Utilize transition points in the web portal, to take the place of your water heater timer. 16

19 Understanding Thermostat Conservation Events will periodically use conservation events to help curtail overall power demand. These events will typically occur in two seasons. In the cooling season, the events will most likely occur from May through October. The heating season will most likely occur from November to April. Events will last up to four hours during the peak energy demand time frame, typically from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the cooling season and 5 a.m. to 8 a.m. in the heating season. Air conditioning and heating units will be turned off for 9 minutes at a time, approximately 30 minutes apart. You will know an event is in progress by the light that appears on the thermostat screen under Save Energy. 17

20 Understanding Water Heater Conservation Events will periodically use conservation events to help curtail overall power demand. These events will typically occur in two seasons. In the summer months, the events will most likely occur from May through October. The winter months will most likely occur from November to April. Events will last up to four hours during the peak energy demand time frame, typically from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the cooling season and 5 a.m. to 8 a.m. in the heating season. Water heaters will be cycled off for a minimum of 30 minutes and a maximum of 4 hours and will remain off for the duration of the event. You will know an event is in progress by the red light that appears on the front of the device that is mounted near your water heater as indicated in the picture above. There is an orange or amber light that blinks. It is an indicator of the communication with the network. 18

21 Basic Troubleshooting for the Online Web Portal Errors in Program Set Up After you select Add Program in Program Management, you must set up at least one transition point on the right hand side of the page. Days of the Week Turned White If you click the tab Specific Days on your weekday or weekend setting, the squares on the calendar will turn white. To fix, click the Recurring tab. Changing Temperature Settings for Air Conditioning and Heating After you create a program, the thermostat on the left will allow you to add transition points. The blue box is the air conditioning and the red box (if you have electric heat) is the heating. Deleting a Program Click on the program you want to delete. This will open the program up. Within the box there is a Remove button. Click and remove the program. Temporary Changes Temperature: to change set point temperature, simply touch the room temperature displayed in the center of your thermostat s screen, then use the displayed Plus (+) and Minus (-) icons to adjust the target temperature. Mode: to change thermostat mode, press the Mode button found on the right side of the thermostat until the desired mode is indicated on the thermostat screen. Fan: to set fan operation, press the Fan button on the side of the thermostat until desired fan mode is indicated on thermostat screen. (On, Off or Auto) Using the Knowledge Center The Knowledge Center contains information that will help you obtain the most benefit from Cent$ible Power. Please check the Knowledge Center tab regularly, as new topics are added which you may find helpful. 19

22 Frequently Asked Questions Can I manually program my thermostat? You cannot manually program your thermostat. Your online programs will manage your thermostat settings for you and will override any manual programs that you create. Can I use the Save Energy button? You should only use the online application to manage your energy usage. While the thermostat does have a button called Save Energy, it is currently not integrated with Cent$ible Power. Using the Save Energy button increases or decreases your target temperature by a number of degrees. My thermostat shows COOL/HEAT when the HVAC isn t running? COOL and HEAT indicate the HVAC mode of operation that the thermostat is currently set to, not whether your HVAC is actually running. Your online program will set the correct mode of operation as required to maintain your specified comfort level. When it does so, the correct mode is displayed on the thermostat. What if my equipment unit isn t working right with the CENT$IBLE POWER devices? If the settings are correct, please give us a call at (251) and we will investigate the cause. For more answers to Frequently Asked Questions, refer to the FAQ page in the Knowledge Center of your Cent$ible Power Manager online account. 20

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24 19600 State Hwy 59 P.O. Box 220 Summerdale, AL (251) (800)